By Thomas E. RicksThomas E. Ricks covered the U.S. military from 1991 to 2008 for the Wall Street Journal and then the Washington Post. He can be reached at ricksblogcomment@gmail.com.

November 8, 2016

The other day we had a good essay about how the U.S. government fails to recognize the space between war and peace, and so allows our adversaries to operate almost at will in that space.

The November issue of Proceedings has an article that speaks to this, making several specific recommendations for the Navy. Each has a clear application to ground forces:

— “Acquire significant numbers of vessels . . . that are small enough to conduct one-on-one encounters with smallboats, large enough to conduct sustained operations at sea, numerous enough to provide presence in all corners of the contested area, and cheap enough to risk losing.”

— “Develop, test, and field a wide range of nonlethal weapons.”

— “Build a cadre of sailors who are specifically trained to balance restraint, confrontation and the use of deadly force.”

— “Partner with the U.S. Coast Guard to conduct cooperative exercises with partners and allies.”